What would you have done?

[Ghosty]

I just wanted a viewpoint about something I saw today and what I should have done about it, if anything ...
I was just coming home from taking DS to Kindergarten and was stopped at a redlight at a busy intersection. I was listening to my radio and looking around (as you do) when I noticed the car in the lane next to me ...
In it were three women - a driver, a front passenger, and a back passenger. They looked like grandmother (75ish), mother (50ish) and daughter (25ish)...
There was also a baby ... about 6 weeks old I guessed ... who was obviously much loved judging by the kisses she was getting by the oldest of the three ladies ...
The thing was that this baby was being held freely in the FRONT PASSENGER seat!!! Being cuddled and kissed and jiggled up and down etc.

I was gobsmacked ... I have seen young children in cars not strapped in before and been horrified, but I was incensed by this blatant disregard for the safety of a tiny baby.

I tried to attract there attention by waving and pointing and when one of the women saw me she ignored me. I was just about to get out of my car and go over to them when the lights changed and they drove away ... turning in a different direction to me ...

I have not been able to stop thinking about it all day ... going from wanting to follow them and try and find them to wanting to phone the police to just plain rage!

What would you have done if you had seen that? And what should I have done? I am feeling very guilty that I didn't do anything ...

One thing I find very annoying is that some time ago I tried to check what the law is regarding children and car seats and what is the recommended type of seat for toddlers and older children and also where I could get our seats checked (call me thick but I'm not convinced that the seats are really correct for our cars even though I have gone over the instructions again and again) the internet is great for many things but I just can't find any official information anywhere except when you are buying and that's just manufacturers.

Anyway, horrified by some of the responses about how many of you have seen children not even strapped in I have seen it occasionally with older children and can't believe why people are so uncaring/thoughtless/etc etc.

You're right, ghosty, a child would be crushed if it was under an adults belt while on the adult's lap.

Did anyone see a recent Daily Telegraph article (MIL saved it) where they profiled parents who didn't bother buckling their kids up, any more? Because the kids made such a fuss of it? I thought the journo was way too sympathetic with the mother (of 3!) who just couldn't be bothered to try getting belts on her kids, any more. Ridiculous, or what?? It's

Zebra - yes, I read that too & was shocked, presumably the mother could be prosecuted if the police stopped her as she is responsible for the passengers in her car ........ that is if she hadn't crashed it first. I think the article also made the point that many parents think it is safer to drive their children around, but more accidents happen in cars & also constant 'chauffering' means children are less able to negotiate roads & crossings etc.